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William Seward Burroughs (Inventor)

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Inventor

The Resume

    (January 28, 1857-September 14, 1898)
    Born in Rochester, New York
    Invented the first practical adding machine
    Founded the American Arithometer Company (1886)
    Firm renamed Burroughs Company (1904)
    Merged with Sperry to form Unisys (1986)
    Grandfather and namesake of 'Naked Lunch' author William S. Burroughs

Why he might be annoying:

    When his physician urged him to move to a warmer climate, he settled in St. Louis, Missouri. (I suppose it was an improvement over Rochester, but it ain't exactly Florida or Arizona.)
    His first 50 adding machines were recalled because he was the only one who could operate them correctly.
    He is overshadowed by his namesake grandson.

Why he might not be annoying:

    By 1926, his company had sold one million adding machines.
    He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
    Apropriately, one of his grandson's collections of essays was titled 'The Adding Machine.' (1985)

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 24 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 22 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 21 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 16 Votes: 43.75% Annoying